It seems that Yamamoto has finally got some temporary houses built, and that people are finally slowly starting to move out of the schools. The people living at the schools are no longer in the main area where classes are held, but rather in gyms and other sports practice areas. In order to get the school back to 100% and also to give people a bit more privacy, temporary housing is necessary. Although I saw temporary, these places are really meant for quite some time as people may not be able to build a house for up to 2 years, or maybe even longer as not everyone has the financial means to rebuild either. I am sure problems will surface over time, but now it is important to move victums out of public areas so the town can return to normal.
This said though, spirits are not low. People are searching for work, and there are tons of constructions jobs. Not only building, but also clearing debris. My Japanese drum group hosted a small music festival last week, trying to raise people's spirits. It was a relativly big success, over 800 people came.
School is normal, excpet that some students have very long commutes because their families moved and they did not want to transfer schools. The longest is a boy that commutes from Sendai, about 2 hours one way. That is a lot for a 15 year old boy.
A meaningful blog with a great mission.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Very meaningful. I hope it's seen by many more people. Having been in Kansai during the 1995 quake, I was amazed by how well the Japanese worked together and recovered. I am sure that they will overcome this also. As a Connecticut Yankee still in Kansai, I wish you and your students all the best. Take care, Andras.
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